The Ultimate Monte Cristo Sandwich {Bennigan’S Copycat} Recipe

Monte Cristo Sandwich {Bennigan’s Copycat}

A Monte Cristo Sandwich is a deep fried sandwich layered with ham, turkey, and cheese on three slices of honey wheat bread, dipped in batter, and fried until golden brown.

If you have ever ordered the World Famous Monte Cristo at Bennigans, you know the appeal: a crisp shell, a melty middle, and a small dish of raspberry preserves waiting on the side.

This copycat version brings that sweet and savory combination into your own kitchen, and it is simpler than it looks. The two things that matter most are a long chill in the refrigerator and steady oil temperature.

If you want something lighter, a Monte Cristo Salad takes the same flavors in a fresher direction. Monte Cristo Sliders are another easy option when you are feeding a crowd and would rather not fry a full sandwich.

Monte Cristo Sandwich {Bennigans Copycat}

Bennigans built its menu around casual comfort food, and the World Famous Monte Cristo was the dish people talked about. It was a deli meat sandwich, coated in batter and deep fried, then served with raspberry preserves for dipping. Each bite balanced the sweetness of the batter and the preserves against savory ham, turkey, and cheese.

The restaurant chain has shrunk a lot since then, and the Minnesota location I used to visit with my cousins is long gone. What I remember most is the moment the plate landed on the table: a dusting of sugar, a little bowl of preserves, and everyone reaching across the booth at once.

That memory is why I keep making this sandwich at home. It is not a weekday lunch, it is a project for a slow Sunday, and it rewards you with something that tastes like a restaurant plate. Serve it with fruit or a simple salad and the whole meal feels balanced.

Monte Cristo Sandwich Ingredients

The recipe has three parts: the sandwich, the batter, and the dipping sauce. Keeping them separate makes the whole process much easier to follow, especially on your first try.

For the sandwich:

• 9 slices honey wheat bread
• 9 slices roasted turkey deli meat, thick cut preferred
• 9 slices honey ham deli meat, thick cut preferred
• 3 slices mild cheddar cheese
• 3 slices Swiss cheese

For the batter:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 2/3 cups water
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• Vegetable or canola oil, for deep frying
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

For dipping:

• Red raspberry preserves
• Honey mustard, optional

Honey wheat bread and thick cut deli meat are my preferences because they hold up to batter and hot oil. If you only have white bread on hand, that works too, and so does another favorite loaf from your local bakery. Just avoid anything too soft or thin, since a flimsy slice will fall apart in the pot.

For the cheese, this version uses both mild cheddar and Swiss. The cheddar brings a gentle sharpness and the Swiss brings that classic nutty melt, and together they keep the middle creamy instead of stringy.

You have two choices for the coating. The homemade batter below is the one written into the recipe, and a store bought pancake batter such as Krusteaz is the tested shortcut. I have made both, and the pancake batter gives you a sweeter, thicker, and slightly crispier sandwich. Neither is wrong, they just land differently.

Confectioners’ sugar is dusted over the fried sandwiches at the end, and it is not optional in my house. Raspberry preserves are the classic dip, with raspberry jam as an easy substitute, and honey mustard is a great second bowl for anyone who wants a sharper contrast.

Use canola or vegetable oil for frying. Both have a neutral flavor and a high enough smoke point. If you fry often, you can clarify the leftover oil afterward instead of pouring it out, which saves money and cuts down on waste.

How to Make the Sandwich

This hot sandwich is a variation of the classic Croque Monsieur, and like that French cousin, it needs to be built and chilled before it ever touches batter or oil. Skipping the chill is the single most common reason a Monte Cristo falls apart in the pot.

Set out a clean work surface and build each sandwich in this order:

1. One slice of bread
2. 3 slices of turkey
3. 1 slice of Swiss cheese
4. One slice of bread
5. 3 slices of ham
6. 1 slice of mild cheddar cheese
7. One final slice of bread

Repeat with the remaining ingredients. With 9 slices of bread and 9 slices each of turkey and ham, you end up with three tall sandwiches.

Next, slice each sandwich diagonally in half. That gives you six servings total, and the halved pieces are much easier to handle with tongs later. Wrap every half tightly in plastic wrap, pressing gently so the layers stay in contact with each other.

Now chill. Place the wrapped halves in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours, or as long as overnight if you want to work ahead. Chilling firms up the bread, the meat, and the cheese so the sandwich holds its shape in the hot oil.

A cold sandwich fries cleanly. A room temperature sandwich turns into a pile of loose parts.

If you truly cannot wait, secure each half with a toothpick before you coat it in batter and fry. Remove the toothpick before serving.

I usually assemble these in the morning and fry them at dinnertime. It sounds like a long wait, but the hands on time is short, and having dinner already built and chilled makes the evening feel easy.

How to Make the Batter

Once the sandwiches have chilled, make the batter. It comes together in about five minutes with ingredients you probably already have.

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Whisk to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the water and the beaten eggs, whisking to combine.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk well until everything is incorporated and the batter is smooth.

Set the batter aside while you heat the oil. It should look like a thick pancake batter, loose enough to coat a sandwich but thick enough to cling to it.

If you would rather skip the measuring, pancake batter is a tested alternative. I keep a box of Krusteaz in the pantry for exactly this reason, and I have fried these sandwiches both ways.

The pancake batter version comes out sweeter and a little thicker on the outside, and it browns a touch faster. The homemade batter gives you a thinner shell with a more neutral flavor that lets the ham and cheese lead.

Whichever you choose, the sweetness and texture of the finished sandwich depend on the batter. There is no wrong answer here, only a different result.

Frying Monte Cristo Sandwich {Bennigan’s Copycat}

Deep frying is quick, so read this section once before you start. Everything moves fast from the moment the first sandwich hits the oil.

Pour about 2 inches of oil into a large pot, or enough so a sandwich half can float freely without touching the bottom. Set the pot over medium heat and bring the oil to between 325°F and 350°F. A clip on thermometer is the best tool for this, and it is worth the few dollars.

Do not let the oil get hotter than 350°F. Oil that is too hot browns the outside in seconds while the cheese stays cold and the meat stays cool in the middle.

Work with one half a sandwich at a time. Take it out of the refrigerator, unwrap it, and dip it into the batter with your hands, coating all sides. Then use metal tongs to lower it carefully into the hot oil. Metal tongs matter here, since plastic ones can soften near hot oil.

You may need to hold the sandwich down for a few seconds to submerge it, and you will likely flip it once so both sides brown evenly. If a sandwich starts to come apart in the pot, pull it out immediately. Loose pieces mean oil splatter, and oil splatter means a mess and a possible burn.

Fry until the coating is a deep golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes with the homemade batter or closer to 4 minutes with pancake batter. Lift the sandwich out with tongs and set it on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Give it a minute before you move on to the next one, and check the oil temperature again before each new batch. Repeating with the remaining five halves is the slow part, but the pot stays hot and each one goes faster than the last.

When all six halves are fried, sprinkle them lightly with confectioners’ sugar and serve with a side of red raspberry preserves for dipping. Honey mustard is a great optional second dip, especially if you like a little tang against all that sweetness.

Serve the Monte Cristo with fresh fruit or a wedge salad to cut through the richness. The recipe source lists 896 calories per serving, with one sandwich counting as a serving, so a lighter side dish is a smart pairing.

A few notes from my own kitchen. Keep the finished sandwiches warm in a low oven if you are frying in batches and want to serve everyone at once. And if you have leftovers, which is rare, reheat them in the oven rather than the microwave so the coating stays crisp.

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Monte Cristo Sandwich {Bennigan’s Copycat}

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Monte Cristo Sandwich {Bennigan’s Copycat} A Monte Cristo Sandwich is a deep fried sandwich layered with ham, turkey, and cheese on three slices of honey wheat bread, dipped in batter, and fried until golden brown. If you have ever ordered the World Famous Monte Cristo at Bennigans, you know the appeal: a crisp shell, a melty middle, and a small dish of raspberry preserves waiting on the side.

• Total Time: 215 min
• Yield: 3 sandwiches, each cut diagonally in half for 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Sandwich
9 slices honey wheat bread
9 slices roasted turkey, deli meat – we prefer a thick cut
9 slices honey ham, deli meat – we prefer a thick cut
3 slices mild cheddar cheese
3 slices Swiss cheese

Batter
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ⅔ cups water
2 large eggs, beaten
vegetable or canola oil, for deep frying
0.5 cup confectioners’ sugar

Dipping Sauce
red raspberry preserves, for dipping
honey mustard, for dipping

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Instructions

Sandwich
1-Assemble sandwiches on a work surface: Assemble sandwiches on a work surface. Start with one slice of bread, three slices of turkey, 1 slice of Swiss cheese, another slice of bread, three slices of ham, 1 slice of cheddar cheese and one final slice of bread.
2-Slice the sandwich diagonally and then wrap: Slice the sandwich diagonally and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 2-3 hours (up to overnight). Chilling allows the sandwich to firm up which will help it hold together in the frying process.

Batter
3-After chilling the sandwiches, make the batter*: After chilling the sandwiches, make the batter*.
4-In a large bowl combine flour, baking: In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
5-In a separate bowl combine water and: In a separate bowl combine water and egg, whisking to combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk well until all ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Set aside while you heat the oil.

Frying the Sandwiches
6-Pour about 2 inches (or more) of: Pour about 2 inches (or more) of oil into a large pot (enough to cover the sandwich) and set it over medium heat. Heat the oil to a temperature between 325°F-350°F.
7-Working one half a sandwich at a: Working one half a sandwich at a time, remove the plastic wrap from the chilled sandwich and dip it into the batter with your hands. Then, use metal tongs to dip the sandwich into the hot oil. You may have to hold down the sandwich to submerge in oil or flip it. Fry until golden brown (4-5 minutes with homemade batter or closer to 4 minutes with pancake batter). Remove from the oil and set on a paper towel-lined plate to drain slightly. Repeat with the remaining halves.
8-Sprinkle the fried sandwich lightly with confectioners’: Sprinkle the fried sandwich lightly with confectioners’ sugar and serve with a side of raspberry preserves for dipping.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 5 min
• Method: stovetop

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1sandwich
• Calories: 896